Mesh networks are increasing in popularity due to their flexibility. A mesh network does not require network cabling making them easier to set up and deploy. For example, a mesh network can be employed to implement a smart grid, which for this example is a wide area control system with numerous control loops. One of these control loops employs smart meters at consuming facilities (residential, commercial and industrial). The metering information is communicated upstream to a datacenter where it is stored and analyzed. The system continuously monitors the available power and compares it to the consumers' demand. To minimize the probability of blackouts, the system always maintains spinning reserves, which can be brought online in a short period of time to meet demand. When the spinning reserves fall below a certain threshold, the smart grid issues demand response (DR) requests to consumers requesting that they reduce consumption by shedding non-urgent load. The system monitors consumer compliance by comparing the metering readout prior to issuing the DR request to the one after the DR request was issued. The control loop in this scenario includes the smart metering, the communication path from the smart meters to the datacenter, the metering data analytics software, and then the communication path back to the home appliance or home energy controller which controls the energy consumption at the home or facility. As with any other control system, the shorter the delay in this loop, the better the performance of the overall system. Wireless mesh networks can be extensively used as part of the smart grid for last mile communication to the meter. In this implementation, each smart meter operates as a hub in the mesh network which facilitates the transfer of metering data from its neighbors, along with its own metering data, upstream towards a datacenter. Similarly each smart meter may operate as a hub which can facilitate the transfer of DR from the utility datacenter to other homes in its neighborhood. Mesh networks have the advantage of being able to communicate using low power transmitters, which helps minimize the power requirements of the transmitters in each meter.